First Walkcycle

[Tagirijus]

Well I'm not sure, if you post too much; actually you just want to come to a goal, or?

I think you're animatino is a bit better. Could be much faster the walk, a bit smoother, too.
The footsteps are a bit better in place, but they seem to vibrate a bit. Maybe you could try to fix them more so that they do not look like he is flying or something?

[Paul Mesken]

There are some "secret tecnique"?

No, there is no secret technique or any tricks. Just hard work and studying. The people at Disney studied movies of how people move in real life, they also used Muybridge's books. They did rotoscoping (tracing over postures in movie frames). They didn't use this directly in their animations but it did give them insight into how people move.

All these animator's rules like using arcs, "slow in, slow out", "squash and stretch", etc. Those things weren't tricks, they were things that were discovered by observation of how people move in real life.

The basis of animation and drawing is not the tools (whether it be software or pencils), not "character" or "style" but observation.

There are painting forums on the internet (like wetcanvas) and people admire the work of the likes of Rembrandt. So, many think that if they use the same paint as Rembrandt, like the true Vermillion, Lead-Tin Yellow and Ultramarine, they can impart the same "magic" like Rembrandt did in his painting. Of course, if Rembrandt were alive today, I'm pretty sure he would have used Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow and Cobalt Blue instead. The "secret" of Rembrandt was not in his paint, canvas or brushes, he was just really good in observing.

Just use a simple stick figure (but with a shoulder line and a waist) and use that to study animation. Pop in a DVD of "Singin in the Rain" and go frame by frame through interesting moves. Dance moves are so much broader than a simple walk and are easier to study. Besides : imagine how much fun it would be to make a stick figure dance like Gene Kelly

[Imago]

Uhm... Ok, got it! Now I wiil search some video with many people moving in many ways! Thanks for the tip!
I also hope to learn how to do a good step-ground timining.
And thanks for your patience with this aniNOOBator!

[lwaxana]

Imago--If you compare your keyframes to the "distinct poses" of a walk described in the idle worm tutorial, you will develop an eye for the way that subtle differences in position will affect the animated motion. For example, Nekonato's legs are currently bent in the "contact" position. That's why they look like they're moving back and forth in a reciprocal motion. In a "normal" walk (of course, in reality every walk is different), the legs are pretty straight in the contact position. Analyzing the mechanics of a walk and how it reads in the animated motion takes a lot of patience, but it will give you the analytical tools to break down and interpret other kinds of motion. Keep up the good work! :D

[gleeful]

This tutorial by Mike Kelley shows a good method for keeping feet locked to the ground during a walk cycle.

At Animators Forums:
http://www.kelleytown.com/forum/animato ... PIC_ID=196

it is also posted at vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/7298335

Good luck!

[Imago]

@ Iwaxana:
Yes, I tried to "modify" the guideline to adapt the walcycle to the char.
Studying some video I noticed there are someting wrong about it.

@ Gleeful:
Thanks for the link!
I think it can be very useful for me.


I hope to upload soon a trailer of my first "important" animation.
In the meanwhile I'll bother you all with my NOOB questions!

[Imago]

http://www.youtube.com/user/ImagoPictures

Here, another attempt!
It's better than others... I hope!
How it look?

[lwaxana]

It's looking better, but now one of the legs suddenly shoots forward in the middle of the step.

[Imago]

Yes, but I can't find why it happens!
I copied the same position of the right leg to the left leg... but something gone wrong.
I need the onionskin...

[Imago]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t0266iubwU

Now I learned!
I think this one can be good enough.

[Paul Mesken]

Pretty close. Just adjust his walking speed. Right now, he speeds up and slows down during a single step. When we walk, we move with a, more or less, constant speed. Look at how his head moves horizontally. It speeds up and slows down. It should be a more constant horizontal speed.

[Imago]

it is also posted at vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/7298335

I followed this tutorial... Maybe I did something wrong...

[sbtamu]

it is also posted at vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/7298335

I followed this tutorial... Maybe I did something wrong...

Imago,
I made this a few mins ago using that tutorial and I noticed the legs acted strange when I cycled through (it looked OK but had a small stoppage when legs where extended) so I just copied and pasted each cycle for 10 seconds and it came out OK. I slowed the steps up for a few seconds at end so you can see it better.

I am still learning also so its nothing professional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOp04R2BxOk
If you would like I can email you the file.

[Imago]

Uhm...
I compared your animation with mine.
Time to change some key frame.
No need to e-mail me the file, I have to learn on my own mistakes.
Thanks anyway!

Now I will try again changing the "contact" pose, it seems the wrong one.